“This year it was a major goal of the Interfraternity Council to have a very, very strong emphasis on value-based recruitment,” Lehman said. “Value-based recruitment meaning obviously that every single chapter is recruiting men who are going to benefit our community and are joining it for a value-based reason.”
Every fraternity chapter has its own values that it is based off of, but for this year’s recruitment, Lehman and IFC are trying to enhance those values for each organization.
Along with the heightened sense of values, the Fraternity and Sorority Life community have become involved with a new app called GreekRush, Lehman said. The app gives potential new members more evident ways of communicating with current members, while also ensuring that they receive information about the chapters’ values in whole.
710 men are currently registered for recruitment, 540 using the GreekRush app. A significant increase from last years numbers, Lehman said.
IFC is spreading the word about values, but is also ensuring fraternities are aware of the Council’s intolerance toward sexual assault.
“We had a time where we had our vice president of risk management give a presentation to the men about risk management, sexual assault prevention and the importance of consent,” Lehman said.
PNMs are already taking advantage of the value-based system.
For Andrew Blumm, a sophomore transfer from the University of Colorado, joining a fraternity is one of the best ways to feel included in the UO community.
“You know, when the conversation flows easily and you’re really relaxed, that’s when you know (you) would like to join that fraternity,” Blumm said.
While comfortability is high on Blumm’s list, it is not the only quality he looks for.
“I’m also looking for a place that has values and good academic reputation, (but also) a good reputation among students in regards to girls,” Blumm said. “I’m looking for somewhere that is respected by the student body, but the most important thing for me is to feel at home.”
Hayden Rahn, Delta Upsilon president, greets this coming year with excitement due to the growing numbers in PNMs like Blumm. There are 58 PNMs who are considering being apart of the Delta Upsilon chapter.
When it comes down to it, the FSL community this recruitment year has put more energy into highlighting the traditions that comes with being apart of Greek Life.
“Choose letters, choose responsibility,” Lehman said. “Once you join this community, you’re not only representing yourself, you’re representing an entity that is much larger than you.”